A review by ddanahs
Darkling by Brooklyn Ray
2.0
It feels awful to give this book only two stars but that's just how it is compared to my 3-star books. Now, don't yell at me, there were a few things I really liked about this book. One of which is, of course, the representation.
I liked that it wasn't a big deal for Liam (even if it was maybe a bit optimistic and in a way, I would welcome a longer conversation between the two on that topic but at the same time, I am completely okay with what the book gave us). I liked some parts of the magic system and Ryder being a combination of two powerful covens (even though it was a bit cliche).
The reason I gave this book only a two is mostly the plotting. The writing wasn't anything amazing but that's what I can usually redeem by the plot and the characters. Wow, now that I think about it, I don't even know how the writing was...the plotting was so off I paid attention to that more than the actual word structures. The plot...wasn't really anything that interesting to me. The characters were okay but I really didn't enjoy how Ryden and Liam got together - it seemed so fast, just blink and they're in love. Even for was such a short novel, that should've been handled a bit better because I didn't even get to feel any chemistry between the characters, so them getting together didn't do anything to me. Would be better if they were already an established couple and the book would just explore how they relationship would hold through the revelation of Ryders identity (meaning his powers).
I don't want to shit on this book, I really don't. And there is no 'but...' because I believe the author had great intentions and there is nothing inherently wrong with how the characters behave, there's no toxicity, nothing that would make me go 'oh god, I think I hate this book'. I don't hate it by any means. I simply believe it could've been executed a bit better and liking a book simply because its representation is not something I do. Sometimes it's a big part it but there are always tons of other aspects.
I believe that if I was younger, I'd enjoy it more. Now, I guess I just became very picky about writing and worldbuilding, and character portrayals (inevitable if you spend so much time with your nose buried in epic fantasy...)
I liked that it wasn't a big deal for Liam (even if it was maybe a bit optimistic and in a way, I would welcome a longer conversation between the two on that topic but at the same time, I am completely okay with what the book gave us). I liked some parts of the magic system and Ryder being a combination of two powerful covens (even though it was a bit cliche).
The reason I gave this book only a two is mostly the plotting. The writing wasn't anything amazing but that's what I can usually redeem by the plot and the characters. Wow, now that I think about it, I don't even know how the writing was...the plotting was so off I paid attention to that more than the actual word structures. The plot...wasn't really anything that interesting to me. The characters were okay but I really didn't enjoy how Ryden and Liam got together - it seemed so fast, just blink and they're in love. Even for was such a short novel, that should've been handled a bit better because I didn't even get to feel any chemistry between the characters, so them getting together didn't do anything to me. Would be better if they were already an established couple and the book would just explore how they relationship would hold through the revelation of Ryders identity (meaning his powers).
I don't want to shit on this book, I really don't. And there is no 'but...' because I believe the author had great intentions and there is nothing inherently wrong with how the characters behave, there's no toxicity, nothing that would make me go 'oh god, I think I hate this book'. I don't hate it by any means. I simply believe it could've been executed a bit better and liking a book simply because its representation is not something I do. Sometimes it's a big part it but there are always tons of other aspects.
I believe that if I was younger, I'd enjoy it more. Now, I guess I just became very picky about writing and worldbuilding, and character portrayals (inevitable if you spend so much time with your nose buried in epic fantasy...)